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Phish Revives ’80s Covers

A poster from when Phish covered these songs more frequently

Much like Phish’s famed 1998 tour, most nights on Phish’s 2010 tour have featured a unique cover. Last night at Raleigh, NC’s Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek, the members of Phish instead revisited three covers the band played in the 1980s, yet has not played since reuniting in 2009. A few songs into their first set, the musicians jumped into Little Feat’s “Time Loves a Hero.” Phish last covered the song during its reunion show at New York’s Madison Square Garden on December 31, 2002.

Later in the night, Phish busted into The Mighty Diamonds’ “Have Mercy,” another song the group played in the ‘80s and ‘early-‘90s. The Vermont Quartet revived the song twice in ’99 but has not played the song since December 10, 1999. Finally, Phish also covered Traffic’s “Light Up or Leave Me Alone” for the first time since the opening night of the Big Cypress festival on December, 30, 1999. The ensemble covered the song early in its career and famously revived the tune at Big Cypress after hearing an early recording of their version of the tune on the festival’s radio station. Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon joined Page McConnell and the members of Vida Blue for the song on December 21, 2001, and Phish played the song during its semi-public soundcheck at Coventry.